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{
    "id": 774302,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/774302/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 149,
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    "speaker": null,
    "content": "Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, if you look at the definitions in this Bill, for instance, that a Town should have street lights and a population of ten thousand, then each and every ward in my county is a town. We will now have Kilimani Town, Starehe Town and Ruai Town because all of them meet this criteria; I am sure many hon. Senators will attest to this. The Bill says that Municipalities should have a population of 50,000. There is one constituency in Nairobi where I garnered 94,000 votes; is that now a municipality? Will that change anything? So, I think we need to put more focus and better use of the time of this House to actually implement the existing laws when it comes to devolution and improve the current status as we seek to make such amendments. I will support this Bill so that at the Committee Stage, we can bring meaningful amendments that can give life to the Urban Areas and Cities Act that currently exists. When you talk about provision of water in Nairobi today, it is still a county function just as it is in Kisii County; yet we are saying there is something special about being a city. We should see – and the Constitution provides for that in Article 186(2) – the concurrent functions between the National and county governments, especially when you are dealing with the capital city, where the entire responsibility then does not just lie with the county government. This is because the county Government of Nairobi will not be able to deliver on such services. For instance, I was at pains trying to answer questions asked about why a fire can break out in Nairobi – a county with more than 34 fire engines – and it sends the engines to the site without water. You then wonder what the engines were going there to do; were they also going there to look at the fire with you? Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, there are many challenges that exist in this city like sanitation, garbage collection and high levels of unemployment. The biggest threat in Nairobi County today is not Al Shabaab ; it is the millions of disillusioned and disengaged young people, yet we are now trying to create more urban areas like Nairobi across the country by calling them cities. So, I will give the benefit of doubt to the sponsor of the Bill because I know he is a leader within the Jubilee Coalition and there are probably certain elements within the Bill that will help. But I think this House needs to be persuaded as to the urgency, impact and the real need for this legislation at this time before we end up having 44 cities in this country. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, if you look at towns, the process of declaring a place a town within this legislation ends with the Governor. Governors will then have a free hand to just create towns left, right and center. For instance, we will have Bomachoge Town created in your county, but for what? We must remember the object of why we are in this Senate. If this Bill will improve the lives of people within those areas we are calling ‘towns’ or if it will provide better services to those people in places you are calling ‘cities,’ then let us do it by all means. But I will ask the mover who is represented here by the Majority Whip, to kindly convince us. What has been the bottleneck in implementing the Urban Areas and Cities Act as it exists today? That question should be answered before we add more bureaucracy in the name of appointing certain boards like a town board, a municipality board or a city board; after which we then hire people and give them money. I have concerns on this one and, to The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate."
}